Sometimes you want a new TV show that will occupy your attention for years to come, and sometimes you want one to help you pass the time during a long weekend. Today, we’re talking about the latter scenario. You don’t have to worry about these TV miniseries being canceled; they were only designed to run for one season. You don’t have to worry if you have time to finish the whole thing before the end of the weekend; none run longer than a handful of episodes. Just sit back, relax, and binge.
Maid
Maid well outside Manhattan
We’re going to start by turning the intensity right up to nine. Maid is a meat-and-potatoes drama inspired by a true story. A single mother (Margaret Qualley) escapes an abusive relationship and moves into a shelter with her toddler. She tries to make ends meet by cleaning houses while dealing with her dysfunctional family, her abusive ex-boyfriend, poverty, and government red tape. It’s a relatable story anchored by a splendid performance from Qualley, and there’s a hopeful, reasonably happy ending to make sure you didn’t get through all those episodes just to feel bummed out at the end.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2021-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
The Queen’s Gambit
Well played, Netflix
The Queen’s Gambit is actually kind of similar to Maid, although the details are vastly different. It’s also about a young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy in a breakout performance) struggling to escape poverty, only this time her path is becoming a professional chess player. Whatever you personally think of chess, the show makes the games feel like exciting fights to the death, with young Beth’s livelihood always on the line.
Also, The Queen’s Gambit is set in the 1950s and ’60s, so there’s some beautiful period detail to enjoy.
- Release Date
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2020 – 2020-00-00
- Showrunner
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Scott Frank
- Directors
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Scott Frank
- Writers
-
Scott Frank
Beef
On the slightly lighter side of things
Beef isn’t a full-on comedy, but it’s lighter than our last two entries. It’s about a struggling contractor (Steven Yeun) and a successful entrepreneur (Ali Wong) who is nonetheless deeply unsatisfied with her life. After they get into a minor traffic scuffle, the two of them decide to take out their rage on each other, engaging in ever-more-elaborate acts of revenge at the risk of ruining their own lives. I promise it’s funnier than it sounds.
Technically, Beef has been renewed for a second season, but it’s going to involve a whole new cast and a whole new story, so the first season still stands completely alone.
- Release Date
-
April 6, 2023
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
-
Hikari
- Writers
-
Alice Ju
Chernobyl
So good you’ll have a meltdown
In five tight episodes, Chernobyl explores the reality and aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, when a nuclear power plant in the USSR melted down. The area remains largely uninhabitable to this day.
In this show, we’re on the ground with the workers at the plant, we spend time with the first responders, and we get to know people at the highest levels of government who try to make sense of the disaster afterward. Chernobyl is a detailed, in-depth period piece that will educate as well as entertain you. Watch it if you’re in the mood for something dense and difficult, and stay as far as possible if you want something airy and light.
- Release Date
-
2019 – 2019
- Network
-
HBO
- Showrunner
-
Craig Mazin
- Directors
-
Johan Renck
- Writers
-
Craig Mazin
Mare of Easttown
HBO’s intimate whodunit
HBO sure likes making gritty TV shows, don’t they? Mare of Easttown isn’t quite as devastating as Chernobyl, but it’s still a serious affair. It stars Kate Winslet as a troubled detective who’s investigating a murder while dealing with a slate of personal problems, including her son’s suicide, her divorce, and a custody battle with her son’s girlfriend over her grandchild. Winslet is fantastic in the lead role, making the show feel compelling enough for the grimness to be worth it.
And if you love this one, you might want to check out these other detective shows you can watch in a short time.
- Release Date
-
2021 – 2021-00-00
- Network
-
HBO
- Showrunner
-
Brad Ingelsby
- Directors
-
Craig Zobel
- Writers
-
Brad Ingelsby
-
Kate Winslet
Marianne ‘Mare’ Sheehan
-
-
Julianne Nicholson
Lori Ross
-
Angourie Rice
Siobhan Sheehan
The Haunting of Hill House
Cower under the blankets and have a great time
The Haunting of Hill House is Netflix’s premiere horror miniseries about a group of siblings troubled by their childhoods spent in a creepy, extremely haunted mansion. I know it sounds like I’m throwing lots of big, serious shows at you, but a horror show like this is untethered to reality in a way that makes it almost comforting, or at least cathartic. None of this is real, so it can’t disturb in the same way that Chernobyl can.
Also, Hill House has a weirdly happy ending. Like Beef, The Haunting series did technically continue, but with a new cast and new story, so you can still watch the original (and best) first season on its own.
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2018
- Network
-
Netflix
- Showrunner
-
Mike Flanagan
- Directors
-
Mike Flanagan
- Writers
-
Rebecca Klingel
Baby Reindeer
Another “comedy”
We’re back to the lighter side with Baby Reindeer, a miniseries about a bartender (Richard Gadd) who makes the mistake of comforting a crying patron (Jessica Gunning) who then becomes obsessed with him. In addition to delivering some great cringe comedy, Baby Reindeer explores its characters in sensitive, surprising ways, so you’re getting a lot of drama along with the laughs.
There really aren’t many straightforward comedic miniseries. You can always look at some longer-lived comedies if you want straight laughs.
- Release Date
-
2024 – 2024-00-00
- Directors
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Weronika Tofilska, Josephine Bornebusch
- Writers
-
Richard Gadd
-
-
Jessica Gunning
Martha Scott
-
-
Adolescence
This 2025 sleeper hit is still good in 2026
We end with Adolescence, a four-episode tour de force that was praised for both its daring exploration of modern subject matter — it’s about a 13-year-old boy who kills a classmate after being radicalized by misogynistic influencers online — and its technical prowess, since each episode is presented as one long shot. If you didn’t catch this one when it was blowing up, it’s past time you gave it a try.
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Adolescence
- Release Date
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March 13, 2025
- Network
-
Netflix
- Directors
-
Philip Barantini
- Writers
-
Stephen Graham, Jack Thorne
-
Stephen Graham
Eddie Miller
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-
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6 detective shows sharper, stranger, and better than Sherlock
Sherlock is a fun show, but these detective series make it look like it’s playing cops and robbers.
Beyond the weekend
If you binge with all your might, you might be able to fit in two or even three of these short series into one weekend. And if you’re looking for something longer and more epic, there are plenty of shows like that around, too. Who says you can’t watch TV during the week, too?
